Ptil Tekhelet

  • rhecht
  • No Comments

I bought your dye sample kit and used in a lecture at my school. When I showed the students the dyed pieces of wool (blue/purple), one of the boys asked, Why is it that the raw piece of wool looks a lot lighter in color than real finished tzitzit?
I bought your dye sample kit and used in a lecture at my school. When I showed the students the dyed pieces of wool (blue/purple), one of the boys asked, Why is it that the raw piece of wool looks a lot lighter in color than real finished tzitzit? 150 150 rhecht

I bought your dye sample kit and used in a lecture at my school. When I showed the students the dyed pieces of wool (blue/purple), one of the boys asked, Why is it that the raw piece of wool looks a lot lighter in color than real finished tzitzit?

read more
  • rhecht
  • No Comments

Are there any concerns with the process of making Tekhelet and the issue of tzar baalei hayim?
Are there any concerns with the process of making Tekhelet and the issue of tzar baalei hayim? 150 150 rhecht

The issue of “tzar baalei hayim” is undoubtedly an important one which keep us sensitive to all of God’s creations. Included in that, for example, is we must feed our animals before we feed ourselves. That being said, it must be clear that this does not mean we hold the same banner as animal rights…

read more
  • rhecht
  • No Comments

I read your source book, which showed a diagram of the molecular makeup of Tekhelet, and showed that the wavelength of Tekhelet is exactly 613 nanometers at its peak. This would be very interesting except for one thing. As the enclosed chart shows, from a psychology textbook, the color yellow is 613 nanometers, not Blue. Blue is 450 nanometers
I read your source book, which showed a diagram of the molecular makeup of Tekhelet, and showed that the wavelength of Tekhelet is exactly 613 nanometers at its peak. This would be very interesting except for one thing. As the enclosed chart shows, from a psychology textbook, the color yellow is 613 nanometers, not Blue. Blue is 450 nanometers 150 150 rhecht

Thanks for the question. The spectrum that is used in spectroscopy is the *absorption* spectrum. You are referring to the *emission* spectrum. If you have a source of light, it emits radiation at various wavelengths, and each wavelength corresponds to a color that our eye detects. There are virtually no natural sources of light that…

read more
  • rhecht
  • No Comments

When bathing in a beach near Haifa, my 10 year old son found a beautiful small snail, light blue colored, about 1.5 cm in diameter. He took it out of the water to show it to me. While walking out from the water, the snail secreted some air like bubbles along with a lot of purple dye which tinted his fingers in a bluefish-purple color. He tried later to wash it up with a very strong (dish) soap and the color finally faded a little but the tips of his fingers stayed tinted until next day. Unlike the Murex snail, this snail was much smaller, glossy and smooth and light blue colored. Furthermore, the dye came out as a secretion of the live snail and there was of course no need to kill it or break it in order to obtain the dye. I would appreciate it very much if you could inform me if you checked out other snails along with the murex snail and why were these other snails disregarded.
When bathing in a beach near Haifa, my 10 year old son found a beautiful small snail, light blue colored, about 1.5 cm in diameter. He took it out of the water to show it to me. While walking out from the water, the snail secreted some air like bubbles along with a lot of purple dye which tinted his fingers in a bluefish-purple color. He tried later to wash it up with a very strong (dish) soap and the color finally faded a little but the tips of his fingers stayed tinted until next day. Unlike the Murex snail, this snail was much smaller, glossy and smooth and light blue colored. Furthermore, the dye came out as a secretion of the live snail and there was of course no need to kill it or break it in order to obtain the dye. I would appreciate it very much if you could inform me if you checked out other snails along with the murex snail and why were these other snails disregarded. 150 150 rhecht

Congratulations! Your son found the Janthina snail which Rav Herzog suggested as a possible candidate for the source of tekhelet after he researched the murex and found that it only gave a purplish color. (Prof. Elsner’s discovery of the Murex dye turning blue in the sun was only in the 1980′s!) Prof. Elsner and others…

read more
  • rhecht
  • No Comments

Is it possible to wash cotton tzitzit with tekhelet in the washer? In hot water? Does tekhelet run?
Is it possible to wash cotton tzitzit with tekhelet in the washer? In hot water? Does tekhelet run? 150 150 rhecht

One of the fundamental characteristics of tekhelet is that it not run – in the words of the Gemara “lo ipareid hazutei”. As such you can wash tekhelet without fear of it running. You can even use bleach! Of course you can expect the garment and all the strings to wear with time and washing…

read more
  • rhecht
  • No Comments

Is there any relationship between tekhelet and shalom and achdut with klal yisroel?
Is there any relationship between tekhelet and shalom and achdut with klal yisroel? 150 150 rhecht

The Radzyner Rebbi concludes his book “Ptil Tekhelet” with the following idea: And now God should bless Israel, in the merit of the mitzvah of tzitzit as it says, And He will remove from [Israel] all evil and all sickness and all wounds and all curses and all baseless hatred (sinat hinam), and as the…

read more
  • rhecht
  • No Comments

What is the difference between the Radzin techelet and the Efrat techelet (from the Murex snail)? Of course, the price is one. Nevertheless, I could not find something on your site to help me decide which to use. Some years ago, I had tied the Radzin techelet to my tallit gadol and, as time has passed, I’m now looking to replace my tallit and so am revisiting the subject. Your assistance is much appreciated.
What is the difference between the Radzin techelet and the Efrat techelet (from the Murex snail)? Of course, the price is one. Nevertheless, I could not find something on your site to help me decide which to use. Some years ago, I had tied the Radzin techelet to my tallit gadol and, as time has passed, I’m now looking to replace my tallit and so am revisiting the subject. Your assistance is much appreciated. 150 150 rhecht

Radzyn tekhelet is made using the ink from a cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis). R. Herzog, who corresponded with the Radzyner Rebbi about tekhelet, obtained the Rebbi’s formula directly from the Rebbi. He gave it to chemists for analysis and they told him that it was simply the formula for the well known synthetic dye “Prussian Blue”.…

read more
  • rhecht
  • No Comments

Your website has been a brilliant resource for me. I have some questions if you could please advise me. 1. We have no definitive, exhaustive list of the attributes of tekhelet. Even if we have found a dye which fits the descriptions of chazal (of which some are quite ambiguous) that we do have, how can we be sure it is tekhelet without a mesoret or a ruling by the Mashiach himself? 2. Since at best we are in doubt as to whether we have the correct dye, the Tosefta Menachot 9:6 indicates that if it is the wrong color we have made the tzitzit pasul and we are therefore mevatel mitzvath aseh by wearing the begged. Is this not correct? 3. Finally some poskim (e.g. Rav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul) have expressed that wearing tekhelet would be motzi la’az al harishonim (since our parents have not worn tekhelet etc.). Why would you feel that this is not the case?
Your website has been a brilliant resource for me. I have some questions if you could please advise me. 1. We have no definitive, exhaustive list of the attributes of tekhelet. Even if we have found a dye which fits the descriptions of chazal (of which some are quite ambiguous) that we do have, how can we be sure it is tekhelet without a mesoret or a ruling by the Mashiach himself? 2. Since at best we are in doubt as to whether we have the correct dye, the Tosefta Menachot 9:6 indicates that if it is the wrong color we have made the tzitzit pasul and we are therefore mevatel mitzvath aseh by wearing the begged. Is this not correct? 3. Finally some poskim (e.g. Rav Ben Tzion Abba Shaul) have expressed that wearing tekhelet would be motzi la’az al harishonim (since our parents have not worn tekhelet etc.). Why would you feel that this is not the case? 150 150 rhecht

We are only as sure as the evidence presents. That being said, there is quite a bit of evidence – see my table here. Regarding Mesorah, see my article: here. Regarding the Mashiach – there is no mitzvah in the Torah which is dependent on the coming of the Mashiach. Regarding wearing false tekhelet, see my article: here.…

read more
  • rhecht
  • No Comments

In support of the Rambam’s method of dyeing one half of a string, I would like to point out that the Moznaim (Hebrew – English) edition of the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Tzitzit, Vol. 7, p. 199) has a footnote that states that there have been archeological finds of Tzizit from Bar Cochbah’s Soldier’s – that had half of one string dyed, as the Rambam holds.
In support of the Rambam’s method of dyeing one half of a string, I would like to point out that the Moznaim (Hebrew – English) edition of the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Tzitzit, Vol. 7, p. 199) has a footnote that states that there have been archeological finds of Tzizit from Bar Cochbah’s Soldier’s – that had half of one string dyed, as the Rambam holds. 150 150 rhecht

The so called tekhelet that was found by archaeologist Yigal Yadin is very questionable. I was privileged to see the find with my own eyes, and three points must be made clear: 1. The find consists of a purplish piece of wool wrapped with a string of linen. Yadin explained that the combination of wool…

read more
  • rhecht
  • No Comments

Your research and work is absolutely fascinating! It’s nice to see this ancient craft come back to life. I’m not convinced though that the murex is the creature that best fits the descriptions. Have you considered checking the heteropod family (carinaria, pterosoma, etc)? They are sea snails with only part of their body covered with a shell. The color of their bodies is like the sea in that they are mostly clear (transparent). Like nearly all gastropods they have blue blood. Of course that doesn’t point to any particular heteropod! They are quite often pisciform (shape of a fish) with their fin and the way they swim. Just a thought! Keep up the good work.
Your research and work is absolutely fascinating! It’s nice to see this ancient craft come back to life. I’m not convinced though that the murex is the creature that best fits the descriptions. Have you considered checking the heteropod family (carinaria, pterosoma, etc)? They are sea snails with only part of their body covered with a shell. The color of their bodies is like the sea in that they are mostly clear (transparent). Like nearly all gastropods they have blue blood. Of course that doesn’t point to any particular heteropod! They are quite often pisciform (shape of a fish) with their fin and the way they swim. Just a thought! Keep up the good work. 150 150 rhecht

Blue blood – does not necessarily make for a blue dye. There are many animals that have blue blood – as you mentioned – from lobsters to Octopus. Tekhelet has the unique property of dyeing fast onto wool – and that is a very rare property. Actually in the Murex snails, the dye (dibromoindigo) comes…

read more
Enter your
text here
X

    Let's meet

    Let’s schedule a time to meet for strings and quality service.




    *=Required